Device for the fixation of dyestuff on lengths of material by steam

ABSTRACT

A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of textile material by means of steam, which comprises of a festoon or progressing a loop type steamer, a pre-steaming device, preceding the loop type steamer and arranged between a material intake of the loop steamer and a device which applies dyestuff onto the material. This device is further characterized in that the pre-steaming device is a horizontal steamer.

United States Patent Fleissner 1 July 15, 1975 [54] DEVICE FOR THE FIXATIQN 0}? 2.456301 12/1948 Miller et a1. t. 34/159 X 2,877,636 3/1959 Dungler I T .r 68/5 D 0N LENGTHS 0F MATERIAL 1896.335 7/1959 Dungler 34/160 X A 3.401.412 9/1968 Meier-Windhorst 68/5 E X [75] Invent gz' f i Egelsbach' FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Y 375117 5/1923 Germany 34/159 [73} Assignee: Vepa AG, Switzerland [22] Ffl d; Man 23 973 Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coe Appl' 345390 Attorney, Agem, or Firm-Craig & Antonelli [30] Foreign Application Priority Data 1 1 ABSTRACT Mar. 28, 1972 Germany 2215006 A device for the fixation 0f dyeSwff pp onto lengths of textile material by means of steam, which {52] U.S. Cl 68/5 D; 34/37; 34/155 mp i f a f toon r progressing a loop type [5!] Int. Cl. D06B 3/02 m r. a p g device, pr ing h o p [58] Field of Search 68/5 I), 5 E, 19,1, 20; type steamer and arranged between a material intake 34/36, 37, I55, 157, I59, 160; 8/149], 1493 of the loop steamer and a device which applies dyestufi' onto the material. This device is further charac- [56] References Cked terized in that the pre-steaming device is a horizontal UNITED STATES PATENTS steamer' 565,927 8/1896 Rusden 68/5 D 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR THE FIXATION OF DYESTUFF ON LENGTIIS OF MATERIAL BY STEAM DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improved device for the fixation of dyestuff on lengths of material by steam and, more particularly, to a device consisting of a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer and a pre-steaming device, located between a material intake of the loop steamer and a means which applies the dyestuff onto the material, of the type disclosed in German application 2129 451.

In a steamer of this type, lengths of material which are printed with drystuff or are uniformly dyed, are treated in a steam atmosphere. In order to achieve perfect fixation results, the steamer must contain a steam atmosphere absolutely free of air. In the treatment of textile material having a pile, it is further required that the material be rapidly brought to the treatment temperature, if possible, without any condensation, because if condensate forms on the tips of the pile on which the dyestuff is applied, the dyestuff will be diluted at that point. Dyestuff fixation will become uneven and so-called frosting will occur.

Material guidance is particularly problematical in a steamer for material onto which the dyestuff has been printed. If the material is fed into the steamer vertically, as is usual, there is danger of the dyestuff running from the printed areas into the neighboring unprinted areas. The invention according to the above-noted application suggests as a solution for this problem to spray the material with steam before fixation in the loop-type steamer. The steam is intended to heat up and pre-fix the essentially horizontally guided material. This measure has proved effective, but is not sufficient for all types of material.

The invention, therefore, aims at supplementing the basic idea according to the above-noted application and to conceive a unit on which both lengths of material which have been dyed across the entire width by means of a dyestuff applicator, as well as printed, may be treated in the same loop steamer without danger of color deplacements on printed material and/or detrimental heating of the condensate.

The problem is solved by providing the pre-steaming device according to the main application in the shape of a horizontal steamer, the discharge end of which should advantageously be located in the immediate vicinity of the material intake of the looptype steamer. By the combination of these known steamer types, a short steamer is conceived with which also printed material can be perfectly fixated.

Production lines for the dyeing and printing of lengths of material, such as carpets, are very expensive to manufacture. For this reason, it has to be possible to dye and print on the same line.

The construction according to the invention permits the arrangement of a known dyestuff applicator above a horizontal steamer, through which the material to be uniformly dyed is guided toward the loop-type steamer. If the discharge end of the horizontal steamer is connected by a duct with the material intake of the looptype steamer, it is insured that no air will get in contact with the processed textile material between the material discharge of the horizontal to the material intake of the loop-type steamer, so that the material intake of the loop steamer is essentially located at the material discharge of the horizontal steamer.

With advantage, this duct should have a U-shaped cross-section and an opening, capable to be closed, on the side where the material is delivered from the dyestuff applicator, which opening should preferably be on the inside of the discharge portion of the U-shaped duct. This permits the use of the duct as material intake from the horizontal steamer as well as from the dyestuff applicator.

The textile material to be treated is always fed into the loop steamer from below in order not to disturb the ideal steam conditions in the steamers upper part. As there is only one material intake for uniformly dyed and printed material, no air is introduced into the steamer, especially not after the material has passed through the horizontal steamer. This arrangement also permits quick changes from the treatment of the dyed to the printed material. The textile material lengths simply have to be sewn together at the duct, i.e., the length of material in the loop steamer is attached to the material coming from either the horizontal steamer or the dyestuff applicator means or printing means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, there are two embodiments of the device according to the invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a steamer unit of a carpet dyeing and printing line;

FIG. 2 shows a unit similar to FIG. 1, with greater details of the material intake of the loop steamer in an enlarged presentation; and

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of FIG. 2 but with a different material guidance.

The textile treatment plant, according to FIG. 1, shows the endless length of material 1 running through the schematically shown printer 2 into a horizontal steamer 16, arranged below the floor level of the loop steamer 3. The material intake 17 of the horizontal steamer is provided at the level of the steam producing units 18 in a water sump. The printed material is prefixated in the horizontal steamer l6 and carried to the material intake 7 of the loop steamer 3 via duct 19 of U-shaped cross-section. There the textile material passes over the heating roller 8 and reaches the proper steaming compartment, enclosed by the housing 4. A saturated steam in steamer 3 is also in this instance produced in the water sump 5. The length of the loops is determined by loop guide means 6.

In case the material in the same line is not to pass through the printer 2 and is to be dyed instead by means of the dyestuff applicator 20 arranged on the same level with the loop-type steamer, the dyed material is fed into the loop steamer 3 through the same material intake. The U-shaped duct 19, during the steaming of printed material, is closed steam-tight over its entire length. If dyed material from applicator 20 is to be processed, the material is fed to the loop steamer via the opening 21 on the inside of the discharge portion of the U-shaped duct 19. Thus, in a most advantageous way, material onto which the dyestuff had been applied by different methods may be fed into the steamer via the same material intake. A good steam atmosphere and, thus, satisfactory dyestuff fixation, are the consequence of this procedure.

The embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3, are similar to that according to FIG. 1, except that they differ in that now the horizontal steamer is arranged on the same level as the loop steamer. Also, in this case, the connection between the horizontal and the loop steamer is a U-shaped steam-tight duct. In the embodiments, according to FIG. 2, the material 1 is guided through opening 21 into the discharge portion of the U-shaped duct 19 and carried into the loop steamer. If the material is to be provided with dyestuff by means of the printer 2, which is not shown here, the horizontal steamer 16 serves as pre-fixation unit from where the material is passed through duct 19 with the opening 21 shut steam-tight, through the usual material intake 7 into the loop-type steamer.

While the novel embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood that various omissions, modifications and changes in these embodiments may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of a textile material by means of steam, which comprises a dyestuff applicator device for applying dyestuff onto the textile material, a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer for receiving the textile material from said dyestuff applicator device, a pre-steaming device in steam-tight communication with said loop-type steamer, said pre-steaming device comprising a horizontal steamer preceding the loop-type steamer and being arranged between a material intake of the loop steamer and said dyestuff applicator device, said horizontal steamer having means for generating saturated steam therein and having means located therein for conveying the textile material horizontally therethrough, a material discharge of said horizontal steamer being located in the immediate vicinity of the material intake of the loop-type steamer, and a duct connecting the material intake of the loop-type steamer to the material discharge of said horizontal steamer.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the duct is of U-shaped cross-section.

3. A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of a textile material by means of steam, which comprises a dyestuff applicator device for applying dyestuff onto the textile material, a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer for receiving the textile material from said dyestuff applicator device, a pre-steaming device in steam-tight communication with said loop-type steamer, said pre-steaming device preceding the looptype steamer and being arranged between a material intake of the loop-type steamer and said dyestuff appliciitof device, said pre-steaming device being a horizontal steamer having means for generating saturated steam therein, means for conveying the textile material horizontally therethrough, and a material discharge connected to the material intake of the loop-type steamer by a duct, said duct having an opening capable of being closed which opening is opened for the intake of a textile material which has been dyed but which has not passed through the horizontal steamer.

4. A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of a textile material by means of steam, which comprises a dyestuff applicator device for applying dyestuff onto the textile material, a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer for receiving the textile material from said dyestuff applicator device, a pre-steamin g device in steam-tight communication with said loop-type steamer, said pre-steaming device preceding the loop type steamer and being arranged between a material intake of the loop-type steamer and said dyestuff applicator device, said pre-steaming device being a horizontal steamer having means for generating saturated steam therein and means for conveying the textile material horizontally therethrough, and above the horizontal steamer, another dyestuff applicator device being operatively associated with the loop-type steamer.

5. A device according to claim 3, in which the opening, capable of being closed, is arranged on an inside wall of a discharge portion of the duct which is U- shaped.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which the horizontal steamer is arranged below the floor level of the loop steamer and also below that of the dyestuff applicator.

7. A device according to claim 4 in which the material intake of the loop steamer is the same for material coming from the other dyestuff applicator device or from the horizontal steamer.

8. A device according to claim 3 in which the opening is provided in the area of the loop steamer bottom.

9. A device according to claim 1, in which said means for generating saturated steam within said horizontal steamer comprises a water sump positioned below said conveying means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,89 +10 Dated July 15, 1975 Inventor(s) Heinz Fleissner It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Cancel Figure 2 drawing 0n Abstract page and substitute the attached figure.

Signal and Scaled this thirtieth Day of Dmnnber 1975 [SEAL] Arrest:

RU'I'H C. MASON C. MARSHALL DAMN Alluring Offictr Commission" a! hltnu and Trademarks Patent NO. 5,894, HO

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1. A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of a textile material by means of steam, which comprises a dyestuff applicator device for applying dyestuff onto the textile material, a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer for receiving the textile material from said dyestuff applicator device, a pre-steaming device in steam-tight communication with said loop-type steamer, said pre-steaming device comprising a horizontal steamer preceding the loop-type steamer and being arranged between a material intake of the loop steamer and said dyestuff applicator device, said horizontal steamer having means for generating saturated steam therein and having means located therein for conveying the textile material horizontally therethrough, a material discharge of said horizontal steamer being located in the immediate vicinity of the material intake of the loop-type steamer, and a duct connecting the material intake of the loop-type steamer to the material discharge of said horizontal steamer.
 2. A device according to claim 1 in which the duct is of U-shaped cross-section.
 3. A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of a textile material by means of steam, which comprises a dyestuff applicator device for applying dyestuff onto the textile material, a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer for receiving the textile material from said dyestuff applicator device, a pre-steaming device in steam-tight communication with said loop-type steamer, said pre-steaming device preceding the loop-type steamer and being arranged between a material intake of the loop-type steamer and said dyestuff applicator device, said pre-steaming device being a horizontal steamer having means for generating saturated steam therein, means for conveying the textile material horizontally therethrough, and a material discharge connected to the material intake of the loop-type steamer by a duct, said duct having an opening capable of being closed which opening is opened for the intake of a textile material which has been dyed but which has not passed through the horizontal steamer.
 4. A device for the fixation of dyestuff applied onto lengths of a textile material by means of steam, which comprises a dyestuff applicator device for applying dyestuff onto the textile material, a festoon or progressing loop-type steamer for receiving the textile material from said dyestuff applicator device, a pre-steaming device in steam-tight communication with said loop-type steamer, said pre-steaming device preceding the loop-type steamer and being arranged between a material intake of the loop-type steamer and said dyestuff applicator device, said pre-steaming device being a horizontal steamer having means for generating saturated steam therein and means for conveying the textile material horizontally therethrough, and above the horizontal steamer, another dyestuff applicator device being operatively associated with the loop-type steamer.
 5. A device according to claim 3, in which the opening, capable of being closed, is arranged on an inside wall of a discharge portion of the duct which is U-shaped.
 6. A device according to claim 1 in which the horizontal steamer is arranged below the floor level of the loop steamer and also below that of the dyestuff applicatoR.
 7. A device according to claim 4 in which the material intake of the loop steamer is the same for material coming from the other dyestuff applicator device or from the horizontal steamer.
 8. A device according to claim 3 in which the opening is provided in the area of the loop steamer bottom.
 9. A device according to claim 1, in which said means for generating saturated steam within said horizontal steamer comprises a water sump positioned below said conveying means. 